Anacreon for all the attention
Quite a love feast, thought Hardin. "I wasn't complaining about the lack ofefficiency, milord, as much as of the definite excess of efficiency on thepart of the Anacreonians ? though in another and more destructivedirection.""Ah, yes, Anacweon." A negligent wave of the hand. "I have just come fromtheah. Most bahbawous planet. It is thowoughly inconceivable that humanbeings could live heah in the Pewiphewy.
Hardin interrupted dryly: "The Anacreonians, unfortunately, have all theelementary requirements for warfare and all the fundamental necessities fordestruction.""Quite, quite." Lord Dorwin seemed annoyed, perhaps at being stopped midwayin his sentence. "But we ahn't to discuss business now, y'know. Weally, I'mothahwise concuhned. Doctah Piwenne, ahn't you going to show me the secondvolume? Do, please."The lights clicked out and for the next half-hour Hardin might as well havebeen on they paid him. The book upon thescreen made little sense to him, nor did he trouble to make the attempt tofollow, but Lord Dorwin became quite humanly excited at times. Hardinnoticed that during these moments of excitement the chancellor pronouncedhis r's .
When the lights went on again, Lord Dorwin said: "Mahvelous. Twulymahvelous. You ah not, by chance, intewested in ahchaeology, ah you,Hahdin?""Eh?" Hardin shook himself out of an abstracted reverie. "No, milord, can'tsay I am. I'm a psychologist by original intention and a politician byfinal decision.""Ah! No doubt intewesting studies. 1, myself, y'know" ?he helped himselfto a giant pinch of snuff ?dabble in ahchaeology.""Indeed?""His lordship," interrupted Pirenne, "is most thoroughly acquainted withthe field.""Well, p'haps I am, p'haps I am," said his lordship complacently. "I havedone an awful amount of wuhk in the science. Extwemely well-read, in fact.
I've gone thwough all of Jawdun, Obijasi, Kwomwill ... oh, all of them,y'know.""I've heard of them, of course," said Hardin, "but I've never read them.""You should some day, my deah fellow. It would amply repay you. Why, Icutainly considah it well wuhth the twip heah to the Pewiphewy to see thiscopy of Lameth. Would you believe it, my Libwawy totally lacks a copy. Bythe way, Doctah Piwenne, you have not fohgotten yoah pwomise totwansdevelop a copy foah me befoah I leave?""Only too pleased.""Lameth, you must know," continued the chancellor, pontifically, "pwesentsa new and most intwesting addition to my pwevious knowledge of the 'OwiginQuestion ."'
"Which question?" asked Hardin.
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